Malaysia does not aggressively seek out and train athletes from a young age.
Zulaikah’s success in winning the USA Intercollegiate golf championships is a result of her perserverance and the determination of her parents to achieve success against tough odds.
Their struggles demand a rethink of how Malaysia should fund promising talent, instead of having middle-income parents bear the responsibility.
Zulaikah’s sensational rise in golf also illustrates the lack of incubators of sporting talent in Malaysia.
On Monday, Zulaikah, 19, of Sam Houston University in Texas, won the individual title at the intercollegiate in Alabama, playing her personal best to record 68, 66 and 67 over three rounds for a 54-hole score of 201, carding just one bogey.
Her university took the team title, smashing the 54-hole record by 32 strokes in the opening tournament of the 2021-22 season.
It was triple joy for Zulaikah when she was later named Western Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week (Sept 1-6).
Her victory marked her breakthrough in the US collegiate golf scene in which five other Malaysian female golfers from various universities have performed well in recent years.
She has made 12 appearances for her university since 2019, gaining five top 10 finishes in the 2020-21 season, including a joint-third at the HBU Husky Invitational in March this year.
After her latest triumph, Zulaikah, who is in her junior year studying mass communications on a golf scholarship, wrote on Instagram:
“It took me a while to find happiness and confidence to accomplish what I’ve done this week but thankfully, I’ve had the most amazing people beside me going through my emotional roller coasters.”
Zulaikah’s brlliance did Malaysia proud but the country did little for her in terms of financial assistance and superior training.
Her parents, Nasser Hamid and Nur Aisyah Catherine, took the gamble when she was young to give her the opportunity to explore golf even when times were tough.
They supported Zulaikah who sacrificed her childhood and teenage years to commit to becoming an Olympian, and a professional after completing her tertiary education.
Nasser, a lawyer, said they could not seek corporate funding as it would have affected Zulaikah’s amateur status.
“Every time we approached sports agencies, we were told ‘no funding’. Imagine the plight of young athletes whose dreams of representing the country die when they cannot get funding.
“Very few parents will be able to bear the costs because of the many expenses involved in nurturing talent in sports such as golf.
“Malaysia does not have the political will to encourage our most precious asset – our children – to make it in sports. If not for parents, children may as well forget about taking up sports seriously in Malaysia.”
He said he had no regrets in embarking on the arduous trek to fulfil Zulaikah’s ambitions. “She has done the country proud and we are excited about so much more that she can achieve,” added Nasser.
He encouraged parents to get their children involved in sports because it would teach them discipline, sacrifice and the value of life.
His sister, Faridah Hameed, recounted the day an uncle noticed that Zulaikah, then 7, had a natural swing while playing on a backyard mini golf course during a birthday party.
The uncle told her parents. Days later, she was at the driving range. Weeks later, she was taking golf lessons.
“She had to forego everyday activities like hanging out with her friends because she had to train every day after school and on most weekends,” said Faridah, a leadership coach.
Golf soon became the biggest expenditure in Nasser’s household, said Faridah.
Nur Aisyah, a former Customs officer, took her daughter to all the training sessions and competitions. As her husband was the sole breadwinner in their family of three, they could not afford an expensive golf club membership which would cost between RM30,000 and RM400,000 for a mid to top-tier club.
They bought a low-tier one at Danau Golf Club for RM4,000 so that Zulaikah could train, using second-hand junior beginner’s clubs worth RM250 for the first three years. At age 13, she received new clubs costing RM10,000.
Her parents, with the help of family and friends, spent between RM3,000 and RM6,000 each month on golf equipment, coaching fees and clothing.
At 15, she became the youngest Malaysian to qualify for the Sime Darby Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association championship in Kuala Lumpur.
Faridah said there were times when Zulaikah wanted to give up golf and was initially reluctant to go to the US, “but now she’s the happiest she’s ever been”.
In 2018, the family went to the US in hopes of getting Zulaikah a university scholarship. At the IMG Academy Junior World Championship, Zulaikah was scouted by the golf coach at Sam Houston University and was offered a full golf scholarship.
Faridah said the RM40,000 trip for Zulaikah and her parents was funded by family and friends. They stayed in a motel and ate at fast food restaurants and food courts.
The family has over the years spent over RM500,000 on expenses such as golf equipment, coaching and domestic and international competition travels.
Zulaikah’s current clubs cost RM15,000 and are due for a change. The shafts, which cost about RM4,000, need to be changed every two years.
Faridah said Zulaikah was highly motivated by the support she was getting from her family and at the university “and nowadays, she wakes up at 5am to train at the college gym”.